Dispensing device



P. A; WOOSTER DISPENSING DEVICE Filed June 9, 1936 Oct. 3, 1939.

INVENTOR.

BY 634M t/1716M.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES DISPENSING DEVICE Philip A. Wooster,San' Francisco, Calif. V 7 Application. June 9, 1936, Serial No. 84308 t2 Claims. (Cl; 271- 23) The present invention'relates to improvements indispensing devices and particularly to im provements in devices fordispensing such articles as towels, napkins, paper cups, and the like.

Wherever articles are provided for use by the public without charge, theelements of Waste and vandalism tend to make the cost of the serviceprohibitive. For example, paper towels which are dispensed free ofcharge in public or semi-public washrooms are usually of such size andmaterial that a single towel will, if properly used, serve amply to drythe hands of one person. Many persons, however, draw several towels fromthe dispenser when they are not actually needed, and oftentimes largequantities of toweling are removed from the dispenser for various otheruses for which it is not intended. Similar improper uses are made oftoilet paper, paper napkins, paper cups, and other articles intended tobe dis pensed in limited quantities.

Most dispensing devices, whether they are designed ior toweling andother paper or textile materials, or whether they are constructed todispense soap in liquid form or granular washing powders, are providedwith some form of operating member, such as a button which must bepushed, a lever which must be pressed, or a crank which must be rotatedtodispense a measured quantity of the commodity. This inventioncontemplates the use of means for retarding the speed of operation ofthe operating member on a dispensing device so that an appreciable timeperiod will be required to dispenseka properly measured quantity forordinary use, and improper and wasteful use will therefore bediscouraged.

It is the object of the present invention to provide improvements indispensing apparatus for the purpose of limiting the operation of theapparatus in a manner to discourage wasteful and improper use of thematerial dispensed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means cooperatingwith the actuating member of a dispensing device to retard the speed ofoperation thereof.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will be madeapparent in the following specification, wherein reference is made tothe accompanying drawing in which one form of the invention isexemplified.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of atowel-dispensing cabinet embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1;and

Fig; 3 is an endelevation of thedispensing cabs inet illustrated in Fig.1, with parts broken away and parts in section to illustrate theconstruction of a towel-measuring device.

In theaccompanying drawing, the invention 5 is illustrated as applied toa well known type of towel cabinet or dispenser, but it will becomeapparent as the description proceeds that the form of the inventiondisclosed in the drawing, as Well as various modified formsthereoflisadaptable 10 to other classes of dispensing apparatus.

- The drawing discloses a towel-dispensing cabinet generally indicatedat H], having a flat back I l adapted to be secured against the wall ina washroom in a convenient position. A roll ll of toweling is disposedwithin the cabinet I0 and supported for rotation, which will enableunwinding of the toweling therefrom, by an axle I3 resting in slots 14formed in brackets I5 arranged interior-1y of the cabinet at oppositesides thereof. A pair of friction rolls are shown at l6 and I1. Thetoweling from the supply roll [2 is led over the top of the frictionroll l6, then back over. the top of the friction roll I1, and extendsoutwar-dly through a slot l8 formed in the bottom of the cabinet andprovided with a serrated tearing, edge l9 to facilitate removal of alength of towel-- ing to be used from the main supply after it has beenadvanced through the slot. A crank 20 (illustrated in Fig. 2) operablefrom the exterior of the cabinet carries a gear 2| positioned within thecabinet, which meshes with a small gear 22 fixed to one end of thefriction roll l6. so as to impart rotation to the friction rolls toadvance the toweling through the slot when desired. It is customary toprevent reverse rotation of the crank 20 by ratchet mechanism, such, forexample, as a pawl 23 pivoted at 24 and engaging with the teeth of thegear 2| (as illustrated in Fig. 1).

Various types of mechanism are in use for preventing continuous deliveryof toweling and to effect dispensing in measured lengths by limitingrotation of the operating member or crank. Such a member is illustratedin Fig. 3, wherein a cam 25 is shown as fixed to the crank 20 forrotation therewith. A lever 26, pivotally supported on a pin 21, has anoperating end 28 extending through the face of the cabinet. A tail 29 onthis lever engages an ear 30 on the cam 25 normally to prevent rotationof the crank until the lever is moved upwardly to the dotted-lineposition illustrated in Fig. 3. Upon rotation of the crank to deliver alength of toweling, a nose 3| is engaged by the ear 30 of the cam whichrotates with 43 is provided to secure it in the crank to throw the leverback to its original position where its tail 29 will again interruptrotation of the crank upon completion of a single cycle. This feature isdesigned to measure the length of toweling dispensed and to some extentto prevent waste. It does not, however, prevent deliberate operation ofthe dispenser to deliver several towels in rapid succession.

In order to prevent such improper operation, the present inventionprovides means for limiting the speed of the operation of the operatingmember which, in the form illustrated, is the crank 20. governingdevices that may be adapted to this purpose, such, for example, as adashpot, or a fluid pump with a restricted by-pass, or agovernor-actuated friction brake.

The speed-retarding mechanism disclosed in the drawing for the purposeof illustrating one form which the invention may assume is ofthe anchorescapement type. Referring to Flg.- 1, the gear 25, which forms -a partof the toweladvan'cing mechanism, is illustrated as meshing with a gear35, to the face of which is secured a scape wheel 36. The scape wheel 36has the usual peripheral teeth which, upon rotation of the wheel 36,engage -'alterhately with two pallets 31 and 38 of an anchor 39, whichis pivoted for rocking movement about a pin 40 and which carries apendulum rod 41 with a weight or bob 42 disposed at its lower end. Uponrotation of the crank 20, the gear 2| is rotated (as heretoforedescribed) and imparts rotary movemerit to the gear 35 carrying thescape wheel 36.

Rotation of the scape wheel is limited in the manner well known toescapement movements by the pallets on the anchor 39, which'efiec'tswinging of the pendulum. As the normal oscillation period of thependulum is inverselyproportional to the distance between the pivot 60and the bob 42, the rate of rotationof the scape Wheel 36 may be variedby adjustment-of the bob 42 along the pendulum rod 4|. The bob isslidably mounted on the rod 4| and a set'screw any position ofadjustment thereon.

Thus with the form of-thein'vention illustrated in the drawing, thespeed'at which the crank 20 may be rotated and at which a given lengthof toweling may be advanced from the cabinet is limited by theescapement movement just described, and the maximum speed may be variedby adjustment of the escapement movement. The governing device orescapement movement There are many well known speedshould be so adjustedthat at least a few seconds are required to advance a desired length oftoweling. As a very short period of time is required to dry the handsupon a single towel, this retarding of the speed of the dispensingoperation will discourage wasteful use of the toweling as it will bequicker and more to the advantage of the user to use a single towelthoroughly than to discard the towel before it is completely used andwithdraw a second towel from the dispenser.

The present invention is an improvement over existing devices whichemploy a time delay mechanism to prevent dispensing operations in rapidsuccession, but do not limit or retard the speed or the dispensingoperation. With the time delay mechanism it is possible for a user todispense a towel and partially use it and then, after the timedelayedlocking mechanism has operated, another towel may be dispensed withoutdelay, thus encouraging its unnecessary and madness. On the contrary,with the struc ture described above,the period of delay begins when thedispensing operation is commenced and this encourages thorough use ofeach towel because of the delay involved in the actual operatioriofdispensing the next towel, no matter when the operation is commenced.

While certain features of the invention are more or less specificallydescribed above, it is to be understood that the invention is notintended to' be limited by the present disclosure but that variouschanges may be made in the construction and arrangement of its severalparts within the scope'of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent isl.In a device for dispensing towels, a dispensingmechanism, a manually rotatable operating ineinberfor operating saidmechanism to dispense toweling, and" a' speed retardingmechanism'inter-posed between the dispensing mechanis'm"an'd the saidrotatable' member whereby towelin'g will be dispensed only uponcontinued manual rotation of the operating member in op positiori to theaction of the speed retarding mechanism.

2; In a device for dispensingtoweling and the like,dispensing'mechanism, a manually rotatable crank for-operatingvthedispensing mechanism, and a speed retarding mechanism associatedwith-the crank whereby toweling may be disperised only by manualoperation of the crank against the retarding action of said mechanism.

. 'PHILIP A. WOOSTER.

